I Am William Turner
by Lizzy adorable Swann
Summary: Ever wonder how young Will Turner got onto the ship that was blown out of the water by pirates. Well this is how I figured it happened.
1. Goodbye

**I Am William Turner**

**Disclaimer: **William Turner belongs to POTC.

**Chapter One: GOODBYE**

"Goodbye, Mom," Will closed her dead eyes and kissed her cold check. Why…why did she have to die? He knew that on this dark day his world had changed forever. He was only a young boy and he was alone now. He shivered as he looked down on her and gave her his final kiss. "Goodbye Mom, I will always love you." He stood up looked around the room, his eye catching his own reflection in the mirror. He saw his eyes looking back at him as he studied his own appearance.

His name was William, William Turner, named after his father. He was born in London on a cold January day approximately twelve years ago to a young mother who lived alone on the poor side of town. His mother may have been poor but she was very beautiful, physically and spiritually. Her looks would turn many sailors' heads and her personality was that of an angel. She was a very caring woman and mother. She took care of Will and all the other young children who seemed to be homeless or were just in need of shelter and food. She didn't have much but what she had she gave freely. Her heart was always in the right place and she would never say a bad word about anyone or anything. Will loved and respected his mother and he wanted to be just like her.

Will had never known his father though his mother had told him he was a merchant sailor. She would tell him how handsome he was and how important he was to the ship he sailed on. She could never remember the name of the ship, but it had some sort of gem name like "The Diamond" or "The Pearl".

Someday soon he would come back, yes, someday soon and bring with him money and treasures. Well, that is what she had always said. Obviously, that day was not soon enough.

Will turned away from the mirror and looked down upon his mother, thinking of her last words as she held out a gold coin on a chain. Her voice had been soft and caring as she told him, "Your father said he would come back with treasures but, alas, my boy he has not. Will, please make yourself a good life and keep up with your studies. Remember, I love you and so does your father. Please, please, remember that." She gave him the gold medallion his father had sent for him. She had said his father wanted him to have it and to wear it around his neck. She wanted Will to know that his father was thinking of him.

Will ran his hand down his wet cheek and slumped down into the far corner of the room, remembering. He had always felt his poor mother had spent too much time pining for her husband. She would spend many hours sitting at the window with a lone candle lit while she knitted socks, hats or scarves, just waiting for her husband to return. Will stood up, walked over to the window and blew out the candle. He felt there was no more light in his life and even if his father did return he would not even be able to recognize him.

He sat down in his mother's chair and picked up the scarf she had been knitting. He sat in the cold dark room for a long time. The fire had long since gone out and there was no food left in the house. He was truly on his own now. He knew the men would be coming soon; the men who seem to show up and take bodies away when people died. There was plague in the city, killing many in the past weeks, and it had been no secret that his mother was ill.

Will was right, the men came. They picked up his mother's body and dragged it down the stairs. Her poor head was hanging heavy and limp between her shoulders and her small feet bounced on the stairs. All Will could do was follow them down and sit on the outside stoop, sobbing, as they took her lifeless body and tossed it into a cart, her legs dangling over the side, not even covered up properly.

The old man who drove the cart placed his arm around Will. "There, there son, there there. Everything will be alright; you will be seeing her soon." He gave him a toothy grin. "Or should I say, we will be seeing you? I'd say we will see you inside a week. I suspect the pestilence is taking its toll equally on the young and the old. Yes, we will be seeing you soon, whether you are dead or alive."

The men who came to take the bodies of the dead also came to toss orphaned kids out on the street, in the hope that the kids would work for them by picking pockets and stealing food. Will vowed he would never do that. He could never be so dishonest. He could never steal.

Will ran back into the house as the cart rumbled away and gathered up what little belongings he had. He put some clothes in a bag along with a short knife. He looked around the room and up the empty staircase. He then turned ran out the door slamming it behind him to keep all the bad memories inside. He looked up the street and saw the cart disappear around the corner. He turned and ran the other way. He ran and ran, directionless, overpowered by the sheer terror of the unknown. He ran until he started to heave and gasp and chock and simply could not run any more. He fell to his knees in an alley; the cobblestone was hard against his knees and cold against his face as he collapsed onto it. He crawled on his hands and knees, when he was able, up to a dark doorway. He curled up into a little ball, hugging his knees to his chest to rest in as much safety as he could hope for on the streets. As he sat there trembling he started to pray.

"God, I don't want to die. I've been a good boy, and I know when it is my time I will go fast so I can be in Heaven with my Mum and, maybe, my Dad, but please, spare me the night. Let me get through this one night and then I may be able to get through the rest of my life." He knew life out on the streets would not be easy and he pulled out his short knife and tucked it into his vest, hoping he wouldn't need to use it. He tucked his head down into his arms and tried to sleep.

As Will attempted to sleep he tried to remember what his mother told him of his father. She said he was a merchant sailor, a good respectable man. He sailed off one day and had never returned. Will shook his head as he tried to hold back the tears but it was useless. "Damn!" he yelled. "My father, like my mother, is probably dead but…but I will…I will set out to find him."

**A/N** It has been a long time since I have written a story. I hope this one strikes someone's fancy meaning I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know. Useful criticism is always welcomed. A nice hey, I like it is great too.

**LIZZY **


	2. A New Life

**I Am William Turner**

**Disclaimer: **Will still does not belong to me.

**Chapter Two: A NEW LIFE**

The next morning, Will went down to the pier. He figured he had to get on to a ship and try to meet some sailors who may be able to help him find his father, assuming he was alive. Will looked at all the ships moored at the docks and then out at the open sea. His mouth hung open and his eyes grew wide with the spectacle of it all.

The ships were huge and beautiful; hundreds of them were lined up before him and their masts reached high into the sky. It was a forest of poles against the blue sky with their flags snapping in the breeze as the men in uniforms strutted about.

Some of the men were shouting and cursing and groaning under the loads they had to carry onto the ships. They did not appear very happy.

Will made his way over to one of the ships, figuring they could use some help. As he got closer, he noticed other boys hanging around. Will walked over to one.

"Hey, mate, what's the word?" he asked in a low voice, trying to fit in.

The biggest boy in the crowd looked down at him. "The Captain of this here ship is taking on six ship's boys for the coming voyage. They are leaving today." The boy then gave Will an evil grin. "Of course, they certainly wouldn't want a scrubby runt like you."

Will ignored the boy and wormed his way to the front of the mob. He looked over to the ship to see some men dressed in fine, blue uniforms, all decked out with gold and ribbons, swords and buckles.

As Will got closer he saw a sailor holding a piece of knotted rope in his hand and he had a nasty look in his eye. The sailor had muscles like a horse and he looked to have a brain to match. Will jumped back when the man yelled out at the boys: "Awright, what kin yiz do? Why should we take yiz on this ship?"

Will thought for a moment, wondering weather this was a good decision or not. He did not have any prospects where he was and he did not want to end up dead on the streets from starvation, mugging on being stepped on by horses. He figured he may as well go out to sea and drown, which seemed more pleasant than the multiple ways to die that the land offered.

William stood up straight and was about to answer when the large boy he had encountered earlier spoke up. "Sir, I can splice a line."

The man motioned him on board.

Another boy yelled out, "I'm strong fer my size and I don't eat much."

The man narrowed his eye on him and motioned him aboard.

Will knew that if he did not speak up soon he would loose the opportunity to sail away. He stood up and yelled, "Sir, I can read."

The lads standing near Will began to laugh. "What the hell's the good of that?" one muttered to the other.

The captain now stood next to the muscular man holding the knotted rope and looked down at Will. "Is that so boy? Then what's the name of this ship?"

"The Star, Sir!" Will said joyfully as he pointed to the name.

"And what does that say?" The captain pointed to another ship.

"The Prince Of The Ocean," he spoke, a little less confidently this time.

"If you are so smart, why do you want to sail with us? Why would you want the hard life of a sailor?"

Will's heart was now pounding hard. He knew what ever he said would make or break the trip. "Sir, all my life I have longed for a life on the rolling sea. It's in my blood, it can't be denied anymore. I want to see all the wonders of the world."

The captain smiled and looked down at the other boys. He then motioned to Will. "Very well boy, you can come aboard."

As Will crossed the plank, he looked down into the dark water and felt a bit of a shiver run up and down his spine. He was now going out to sea. As soon as his foot hit the deck of the ship he was sent over to a portly gentleman dressed in a black suit who did not look military at all. The man was wearing a fancy hat and he had little round glasses set on his nose. He looked up at Will and squinted.

"What's your name, boy?" the weedy little man sitting at the table asked as he put his pen down.

"William, Sir," he said as steadily as he could. "William Turner."

"Age?"

He thought fast. A wrong answer could get him tossed back off. He knew he was twelve but he looked younger. He didn't want to claim he was too old or the man would never believe him.

"I'm thirteen, Sir," he said as the man looked up at him without saying anything.

"Thirteen and a half," he qualified quickly, "almost fourteen."

"All right," the man said, writing it in his book. "You are now written into the record of this ship and, as such, you are now bound by all the rules that pertain to members of this crew. Should you willfully disobey any of those rules, or the Articles of War, you will be punished by imprisonment, flogging, or hanging. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," Will said as he looked around the ship and at the other boys.

"Good, go over and join them. We will be sailing soon."

Will took himself over to the side of the ship to be out or the way but he wanted to watch the proceedings on the dock and the ship. Three more boys were picked and they soon headed out to sea.

**A/N **Thank you for the nice reviews. I figured since I got four very nice reviews I would update and not leave you all hanging. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the next one that will follow soon.

**Lizzy**


	3. Life On The Sea

**I Am William Turner**

**Disclaimer: **William Turner belongs to Disney, or does he belong to Elizabeth? Maybe he belongs to the sea. Well all I know he does not belong to me. Sob.

**Chapter Three: LIFE ON THE SEA**

The first day out was glorious as the ship rode the tide. There were sailor's way up in the rigging letting out sails and some were on deck hauling on ropes. The officers were shouting all sorts of strange orders. It was like another language to Will.

Will marveled at the newness of it all and at the smell of the air, which didn't reek of sewers or rubbish or horses any more. Sea monsters, cannibals or pirates may get him in the end, but at least now he knew the plaque would not.

Will felt everything was going to be fine until the second day when the waters got rough. When the ship hit the open ocean she leaned sickeningly on her side and slipped and fell down into the waves only to shoot up as another one crested.

The motion of the ship made Will and the other boys queasy. The captain took pity on them and told them all to go down to the gun deck and sleep between the massive guns. He told them to pile up blankets and lay down. He guaranteed them their stomachs would be feeling better.

The next three days were not any better. The winds and the seas got even rougher and the boat danced through the waves, which were now like mountains. Will and the other boys crept and crawled to the head to spew up vile juices from there guts. Occasionally Will never made it to the head and it made him even sicker to have to clean it up.

After being out on sea for a week, the captain announced it was time for the boys to start their duties. The chores varied according to the situation and what was going on. They were to clean the decks, polish the copper and brass, and help the cook with the food and the clean up. When and if they ever went into battle, they would become powder monkeys and run the heavy sacks of gunpowder to the guns. There were drills to practice this, for there was always talk of pirates just waiting to attack.

In addition to Will's daily duties he would have to stand watch. The watches would rotate from eight in the evening to midnight. The next night would be midnight to four in the morning and the next four to eight. Will stood his watch back by the quarterdeck and would fetch coffee and food for the officer on the watch or wake people when needed. He also would run any errands that needed to be run. There were some times, however, when Will was asked to climb up to the crow's nest and stand for hours just gazing out over the sea, looking for pirates and such.

As Will stood in the crow's nest one early morning he could not believe his eyes. He yelled out to the men below: "I see a ship off our starboard; it is much smaller than us with two masts and big swooping sails rigged fore and aft. She is on fire."

The Captain was called from his slumber and as he stumbled out onto the deck he pulled his spy glass to gaze upon what Will had spotted. Sure enough, there was a burning hulk of ship. Pirates had evidently plundered it and left it glowing in the dark. It glowed for a long time as they approached the ruins and searched for survivors.

The captain pulled his hat off and held it to his chest in respect for the dead as they drifted closer to the sinking hull. "The poor sods are all dead or drowned by now. I suspect the pirate ship is long gone, but we must keep a wary eye. Call all men to quarters and have the guns ready."

As the captain gave his orders and the men dispersed, Will looked at the burning ship. The ship gave off an eerie light and as he turned to go back to his duties a stiff breeze whipped around him. Will felt as if someone were pushing him and then he felt something cold on his chest. He reached down but the only thing he found was the gold medallion his mother had given him. The medallion glowed in the firelight as the ship gave off one last flare before all went dark. The air was thick and a heavy fog was moving in. Will looked around, thinking that he had heard someone calling his name, over and over again. "TURNER…TURNER…TURNER…"

Will's watch was over and he was now allowed to go to bed. He was told to sleep in the sailors hammocks since the guns were being prepared for battle. He had troubles falling asleep but he finally fell into an unfruitful slumber.

As he slept, he tossed and turned. He heard voices yelling and he felt as if he was on a run away horse. He woke up when he hit the floor and he could hear the Captain yelling from up above. "It won't work, we cannot outrun the pirates! Let's have all she'll give us!"

"Aye, Sir!" Will heard men bellowing at the top of their lungs. He realized they were under siege. He looked up to see the hammocks swinging as the ship lurched; he shook his head and pulled himself to his feet.

"All men aloft to make sail, hurry unfurl them! She is coming closer," the captain yelled in a panicked voice. "My God NO!! She is the ship we have been warned about. She is the ship with black sails. She is THE BLACK –"

BANG! Will was knocked off his feet again and did not hear the ships name.

"Captain, we cannot hold her off, she is coming forward ever so fast in hot pursuit. Captain, she is already in full sail and they have a line of loaded guns aimed at us. Maybe we should surrender."

"NEVER!" The Captain yelled.

Hearing this, Will pulled himself up off the floor once more and ran to the upper deck. As he reached the deck he heard a boom roll across the water and he felt the ship rock.

"Pull out the long guns!" The Captain pointed at Will. "Turner, grab a bag of power. Hurry, reload the guns." The Captain was yelling out orders and the men were scrambling everywhere to carry them out.

As Will ran to get the powder, a ball smashed into the ship. The pirates fired again and the cannon balls whistled over Will's head. Will's eyes opened wide as fear filled his heart. This was not fun, this was serious. People were shooting at him.

Will's legs began to feel like jelly and he couldn't move. "The Star" was beginning to turn and the captain yelled over and over again: "FIRE!"

Will heard the hammering of the guns and the awful crash as "The Star" took another blow and keeled over. There were cheers, but they were not coming from "The Star". It was coming from the black ominous looking pirate ship.

The Captain looked at his crew and ordered them to cut away the huge sails that were now lying in the water and bringing them to a crawl. As the captain yelled out his orders, Will heard the pirate captain yelling at his crew.

"Hold fire, fire only on my order. Remember, we want to be taking the ship, not sinking it. You must remember what we are after unless you all intend on swimming."

Then there was a splintering crash as the black ship hit them broadside. The pirate captain yelled out, "Get the nets and the hooks across. Grab your cutlasses and pistols. Find the treasure and leave no survivors."

As the pirates boarded "The Star" they were howling like demons. Will grabbed a cutlass but it felt too heavy in his hand. He was hoping he would not have to use it, but he wanted be prepared.

His mind was reeling. "I'm only a boy. I should let the men deal with this." Will was about to turn and run when he saw a cocked pistol in his face. He stumbled back slightly, raising the sword at his opponent. As he wielded the weapon he slipped on the blood that was now covering the deck. The pirate shot the gun but missed Will due to his fall. Will, out of shear fear, dropped his sword, scrambled to his feet and ran.

As he ran, he felt the ship tremble. He looked about only to see that most of the people around him were dead. He knew most of them were his mates. As he made his way toward the hatch, he heard the pirate captain yell. "Blow 'em up! I see no point in playing games any more. Let's take what we can and be done with these bilge rats."

There was a crash and Will flew up in the air and flat on his back which knocked out most of his senses. As he tried to get back on his feet there was another blast. Will was plummeted into the cold ocean water and as he fell he felt the heat of the now burning ship on his back.

The ship blew up behind him. There was so much smoke and flames that he couldn't see but he could hear screaming and crying as he pulled himself onto a piece of wood. Will looked back up at his burning home. He knew the pirates had won and they would probably leave him alone to be food for the sharks. After all, he was only a ship's boy. What would pirates want with him? He laid himself down on the wood, placed his hand on his necklace and then all became dark and silent.

When Will opened his eyes again, he found himself looking up at a beautiful young girl with soft brown eyes, auburn curls and freckles across her nose.

"Hello, my name is Elizabeth Swann."

He managed to mutter "Will Turner" and then he fell unconscious once more.

**YOU ALL KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY**

**A/N **Thank you for the wonderful reviews. Now that summer is here I hope to write some more. I have to say I loved the 3rd pirate movie and if you have not seen it yet, you better. Will and Elizabeth rock!

**LIZZY**


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